LEOMINSTER -- City councilors expressed their disappointment Thursday after the Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted 3-2 in support of a slots casino in Plainville, saying the commission failed to see the potential in Leominster.

Councilor-at-large Robert Salvatelli said the decision was based on trying to revitalize horse racing in the state.

"I am very, very disappointed. I think it's a tribute to the community that the two individuals who voted for us were probably two of the best members of the commission and the brightest," he said.

He said he saw the slots plan as a way to lower the tax burden on residents.

"I know there is a substantial amount of people in the community who didn't want it. I saw it as a way of helping our taxpayers with their tax bills," he said. "This would have been a perfect opportunity to stop the bleeding as far as homeowners are concerned. I did not think it would have an ill effect on this community at all. I am angry."

Ward 5 City Councilor Rick Marchand, who had reservations about the project in the beginning, said the city has always been divided on this project, and that was clearly recognized in the commission's vote.

"The Gaming Commission apparently felt it's in the best interest to try and revitalize a blighted dog track and try to do something for that part of the state. Their decision is what it is," he said.

He said the reaction from residents has been mixed, he said.

Advertisement

"The people I've spoken to, some are disappointed. They were looking to go over there and enjoy a night of entertainment. Others were disappointed because they were looking to obtain full-time or part-time work," Marchand said.

Marchand, who plays a big role in the annual Johnny Appleseed Festival, said bringing a slots parlor to Leominster could have helped funnel revenue back into the community for service projects and events.

"We will survive. We have one of the strongest financial statutes of anyone in the state," he said. "Not that we were relying on that money in a significant way. They're in a desperate need of support. We have a totally different demographic and financial situation and if the state was trying to reach out and help Plainville, I completely respect and understand that."

He said the city will continue to remain a "vibrant" community.

He said he always had concerns about people living in Ward 3, where the slots parlor would have been built off of Jungle Road.

"However, I felt pretty confident the company had credibility where they would work with the city and the neighbors to resolve the impact, especially of public-safety concerns," he said. "Unfortunately, we continue to still have this location that remains Jungle Road. We need to do something to revitalize that area."

At-Large City Councilor Claire Freda said there was a "positive feeling" in the air after residents voted to support the project and she said the prospective partnerships the project would have generated were a positive.

"I do think, in watching some of the whole event unfold this afternoon, I just really feel it was an attempt or it was the thought process to save the horse issue," she said.

If that was the case, she said, and the Plainville project got extra points because of the horse-racing potential, the Gaming Commission should have been up front about that in the beginning.

"How can anybody compete with that if that was a goal and an underlying mission of the commission? It just doesn't seem to fall in line with everything that came out of the committee meetings," Freda said. "For them to say it's more about the jobs in place and a part-time horse industry, I guess I'm kind of surprised at that and miffed at that. They should have been up-front with that from the very beginning before so many people spent so much money around the state."

Not everybody believes the Gaming Commission made the wrong decision.

Jerry Flynn, originally of Lowell, said he believes Plainville was the best choice because of everything else is has to offer people besides just slots.

"What's in Leominster besides plastic factories and Johnny Appleseed? Plainville was the logical choice for a variety of reasons, including proximity to highway (Interstate 495), the track is already set up and would require little local permitting," he said in a comment on Facebook.

Other people felt indifferent, saying the vote didn't impact them one way or the other.

Erika Gutermuth, of Leominster, said that while slots can be fun, the potential negative consequences have to be considered too.

"I'm fine either way. I like slot machines, they can be fun, and bring money to the community, but they can also bring undesirable types to the community," she said.

Follow Katina Caraganis on Tout and Twitter @kcaraganis.

Editor's note: This story was changed after publication to reflect that Salvatelli is a councilor-at-large, not a ward councilor.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sentinel and Enterprise. So keep it civil.